NBA title odds action report: Offseason sees huge shake-up
Only in the NBA can we see so much reshuffling of title odds so early in the offseason. Due to all the free-agent signings and blockbuster trades, there's been arguably more price fluctuation over the last couple of weeks than across the entire NFL offseason.
Some of that fluctuation even began before the player movement. As Caesars senior oddsmaker Alan Berg told theScore, odds are a "speculative market" when they open prior to free agency.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a prime example.
Despite not making the playoffs in Year 1 with LeBron James, the big-market franchise with an ability to recruit another major player or two saw a massive dip in its odds this offseason.
"We opened the Lakers at 20-1 and we had a bunch of bets on them early but nothing that got our attention," Berg said. "As the liability rose we went to 15-1 and took a bet that made us make a strong move to 8-1.
"On the morning of June 14, we moved the Lakers to the favorites at 4-1, which people were surprised (about). The next day, (Anthony) Davis was a Laker."
Berg added: "The Lakers got as low as +125 during the Kawhi madness. They are now 3-1."
Now that much of the dust has settled, here are the current title odds for every team, courtesy of Caesars:
Team | Odds |
---|---|
Lakers | 3-1 |
Clippers | 4-1 |
Bucks | 9-2 |
Rockets | 8-1 |
76ers | 8-1 |
Warriors | 14-1 |
Jazz | 14-1 |
Nets | 20-1 |
Nuggets | 20-1 |
Trail Blazers | 25-1 |
Celtics | 25-1 |
Heat | 40-1 |
Pacers | 40-1 |
Spurs | 40-1 |
Raptors | 50-1 |
Pelicans | 75-1 |
Mavericks | 100-1 |
Grizzlies | 100-1 |
Magic | 125-1 |
Bulls | 125-1 |
Kings | 150-1 |
Thunder | 150-1 |
Knicks | 200-1 |
Hawks | 200-1 |
Pistons | 250-1 |
Wizards | 500-1 |
Timberwolves | 500-1 |
Hornets | 1000-1 |
Suns | 1000-1 |
Cavaliers | 1000-1 |
It's clear that certain franchises hit home runs this offseason, while others struck out. For example, according to Berg, the 76ers were at 15-1 (as speculation), hit as high as 20-1, and now sit at 8-1. The Celtics were at 15-1 and 10-1, but now sit at 25-1. The Clippers hit 12-1 and 5-2 before settling at 4-1. Finally, the Knicks were as low as 12-1, but now sit at a whopping 200-1.
As far as the betting action to date, current front-runners are popular, but there are three teams in the second tier that have seen some tickets as well.
"The teams who have a dark-horse chance are popular - the Blazers, Jazz, and Nuggets," Berg said.
And as always, there's one "long shot" that is piquing bettors' interests in the early stages.
"We took a bet on Heat at 250-1, 100-1, but they will need Chris Paul to be worthy of the 40-1 we currently have them at due to exposure," Berg added.
Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer at theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.